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Downtown Los Angeles Eyewear Company Brings Innovative Elements To Market

JT Arowosaye |
April 1, 2015 | 12:17 p.m. PDT

Contributor

Display of Sires Eyewear glasses (JT Arowosaye / Neon Tommy)
Display of Sires Eyewear glasses (JT Arowosaye / Neon Tommy)
The word ‘sonder’ represents the realization that each random stranger walking down the street, is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—where you might appear once as an “extra” in their continuing story.

There could be a person who just saved somebody’s life, created their own documentary or works for an innovative start-up company standing right next you.

As my friends and I were at Crenshaw Station waiting for our train, my random conversation with a man standing next to me put the term ‘sonder’ in perspective.

His name was Wesley Gordon, and when I peered over at him I noticed his modish, 1950’s styled glasses and asked him about them.

I found out two facts about Gordon from our quick conversation. One, he is not prescribed to actually wear glasses at all. “It’s a fashion accessory. I use it as way to advertise and talk about my job,” said Gordon. Two, Gordon works for Sires Eyewear, the company he referred to.

Immediately I was intrigued by Sires Eyewear and arranged to find out more about it.

The company is an eco-friendly and handmade wooden-frame eyewear business located on Spring Street in a trendy, Downtown Los Angeles penthouse.

The co-founders CJ Thomason, the craftsman, and Chris Erven, the optician, conceived the eyewear line in late 2006.

“We wanted to make something that was one of a kind and handcrafted and so the best material we could think of was wood,” said Thomason.

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Thomason said it took the company more than 1000 hours to figure out how to create thin sheets of wood with durable cotton fiber that could withstand the 50 pounds of pressure it takes to pop in lenses.

“We’re not trying to reinvent the design,” said Thomason, “We’re trying to reinvent the way it’s made.”

With that problem solved, Sires Eyewear could focus on fashioning eye frames that featured classic designs based from the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s—and have been met with positive reviews.

“I think people would be open to trying wooden-frame glasses especially if they make their glasses fit to the trend which I think is kind of hipster right now,” said Madelyn Hopfensberger, USC Student.

Sires tries to feature a collection of vintage designs, custom-made frames and even comic design prints to appeal to multiple tastes and face shapes.

The company said that their three most popular frame designs are the Dylan Thomas, named after the poet, the Marilyn, named after Marilyn Monroe, and Mo’orea, named after an island off the coast of Tahiti. Other frame styles include the Bradbury, the Biltmore and Kingston.

According to the business’s website, customers who want a pair of their frames must follow five steps which involve first choosing a frame.

Worker making wooden frames (JT Arowosaye / Neon Tommy)
Worker making wooden frames (JT Arowosaye / Neon Tommy)
After customers select their frames, they choose their choice of wood. 

“All the wood that we use from all over the world are either sustainable or FSC certified which is Forest Stewardship Council,” said Erven. “So we’re not having any trees cut down for our frames.”

The FSC sets international standards to protect forests for future generations.

Eco-friendliness is one of the company’s most important values. Sires donates a percentage of their profits to Trees for the Future, a charity that plants fast-growing trees in over-cultivated areas.

After the customers chose their type of wood, the company then asks for their prescription for the lenses. The eyewear staff then proceeds to design and craft the frames at their L.A. location. 

“Our second floor [in Sires Eyewear] is our manufacturing floor,” said Gordon, a frame designer. “Almost everything gets done here.”

There are nine workers who make and inspect the frames before they are sent out for shipment. It usually takes about a week for a client to receive their order in the mail.

Lens prices for these wooden-frame glasses run anywhere from $95 to $375. Additionally, the eyewear company offers shoppers who order their wooden sunglasses without a prescription a lifetime warranty on the lenses.

The warranty guarantee, their unique wooden frames and their commitment to customer appreciation is what Sires believes will allow them to thrive in the business.

But as of late, the commercial market in L.A. has not been kind to small businesses.

“For a small business like Sires Eyewear to be successful and sustainable in Los Angeles they have to have great leadership, excellent financing and market their target audience well—particularly the economically diverse L.A. community,” said Marygail Dibuono, Chief Financial Officer, at a local small business.

In the end, the owners say they are not deterred by the challenges the company has or might face in the future.

“It’s kind of just a really cool thing to look around and see my buddies making frames that at one point we developed together, and I’ve definitely found a lot of pride in that,” said Thomason.

Had I not approached Wesley Gordon at the train station I may have never gotten the chance to interview the Sires Eyewear staff.

And that all started with asking the guy next to me, “Hey cool glasses, where you get them from?”

Reach Contributor JT Arowosaye here



 

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